Personal loans are used for numerous purposes, but people commonly use the financial solution to consolidate other debt, especially higher interest obligations like credit cards. 

In these cases, the funds from the personal loan are solely used for refinansiering av gjeld or debt refinancing, which involves paying off all creditors, leaving only the single fixed monthly loan installment with a fixed, lower interest rate and a predetermined term. 

This makes the monthly obligations much more manageable and creates less cost in the long term since the highest-interest debt is eliminated. 

Some loan providers deal primarily with personal loans meant for consolidation and refinancing debt. You’ll need to carefully research when comparing lenders to find the most suitable with their terms, conditions, and rates. 

A lending agency specializing in debt refinancing will offer optimum knowledge and expertise to ensure your needs and particular circumstances are taken into consideration. Click for details on how restructuring and refinancing differ. You can also specify if you prefer the lender to use the loan’s disbursement to pay the creditors off directly or deposit it to your traditional banking checking account so you can do so.

What Are The Advantages Of Using A Personal Loan For Debt Refinancing

 

When you want to get out of debt quicker than is possible by making minimum credit card installments, refinancing this debt with a personal loan could be the answer. 

 

The priority is searching for the most suitable financial product with a lender offering competitive rates. Often, you can find lenders versed in personal loans specifically for debt refinancing. 

 

Not all lenders specify a purpose for their personal loans or expect the borrower to do so, but some are set aside strictly for consolidation or refinancing of debt. These will have adequate knowledge and expertise meant to guide you to the ideal solution for your specific needs.

 

What advantages can you hope for when using a personal loan to refinance your higher-interest credit card debts? Let’s look at some of the benefits.

• You have the potential to eliminate higher interest in favor of a single fixed rate

 

A credit card’s interest can range well into the 30 percent range, usually significantly more expensive in interest costs than a personal loan, a reason many people choose debt refinancing using a personal loan. 

 

When borrowing with a personal loan, the interest, depending on your credit profile, is less than half that of a higher-interest credit card. 

 

That means the loan will save you money each month after the consolidation, but you will pay the debt off faster than if you muddled away by paying the minimum payment on each credit card invoice. That’s especially true since the interest with a personal loan product is fixed, and the term is set. Go to https://www.fool.com/the-ascent-mortgages/refinance-pay-off-debt/ to learn if you should refinance debt.

• Monthly installment repayments are more straightforward and manageable

 

A few credit card bills will mean different repayment dates, varying interest rates, and individual minimum amounts due for each one. Depending on how many you have, it can get confusing attempting to juggle these without missing a due date or a payment altogether.

 

That would lead to late payment charges and reports to the credit bureau, impacting your credit score. When you do a debt refinance using a personal loan, the conglomeration of bills is each paid with the funds from the loan leaving behind a single monthly obligation.

 

The sole monthly payment is a set, predictable amount you can count on every month with fixed interest and a determined time frame when the balance will be paid in full. It makes it easy to establish a workable budget and allows free range for other obligations.

• You can make improvements to your credit profile

 

The formal personal loan application will create a hard credit pull, resulting in a temporary credit score drop. However, taking this financial path can positively impact the score overall in a few ways. 

 

First, when you have a blend of varied types of debt and credit, providers recognize excellent control with monetary responsibility designating roughly 10 percent of your credit score. 

 

Plus, paying a substantial portion of your debt down decreases your credit utilization. That’s the ratio determining the amount of credit in use compared to the amount available. 

 

When debt is refinanced into one single loan, the utilization will go to zero. The recommendation is to keep it under 30 percent, but the ideal is under 10 percent if you want to boost your score. So while you’ll get a temporary ding from applying for the loan, having the loan will ultimately be a healthy credit move.

• The overwhelming debt could disappear much faster

 

As a rule, when credit card debt becomes overwhelming, people get to a point where they merely pay the minimum payment on a few different cards just to get through the cycle of debt that’s been created. 

 

There’s no clear-cut path for them to break free from what’s become a mess. As it stands, it could take as long as possibly decades to fix, depending on the amounts due. 

 

When choosing to refinance this high-interest debt using a personal loan, the creditors are repaid with the disbursement immediately and in full with the fixed monthly repayment plan established for the single personal loan obligation. 

 

For example, by paying minimum monthly payments, you might have established a rough payoff time frame of 10 years for your debt, whereas acquiring a personal loan with a lower rate and fixed terms could mean cutting that time in half. 

 

A problem in some cases is borrowers see the free space of merely having one payment each month and gradually start using their cards again. 

 

It wouldn’t be an issue if the balances were kept low and paid off each month. Still, there are occasions when people get themselves back in over their heads with debt, but now they have a personal loan obligation included in the mix. 

 

You could refinance once again; however, it would be expected for a lender to be tough on this amount of debt. It depends on the credit history and score.

 

What Are Some Potential Downsides To Using A Personal Loan To Refinance Debt

 

Before deciding to refinance debt using a personal loan, it’s worth considering the pros and the downsides. While you’ll be cleaning up your finances by putting them in one single loan payment, the debt still exists. That can be difficult for people to comprehend when those “paid in full” statements appear.

• There is a potential for creating more debt

 

Although the debt from your credit cards is merely transitioning from the cards to a loan, the single, lower payment, greater manageability, and less owed each month make it hard for people to comprehend that this incredible debt still exists. 

The freedom that one fixed monthly obligation affords combined with credit cards that are zeroed out can lead to the creation of new debt, possibly more than previously. 

Before you decide to wipe the slate clean with a personal loan to refinance debt, a recommendation is to consider increasing the credit card payments from minimum payments to double that amount or potentially trying a zero-interest balance transfer card. 

It will keep you on track since it has a limited span of roughly two years to accomplish your payoff goals.

 

• You might be stuck if you don’t qualify

Lending agencies look at credit profiles with scores and financial status to determine the interest rates. You need stellar credit to qualify for a personal loan to refinance your debt. 

Or, if you do, you could receive close to the same interest rate, possibly one that’s higher than you’re currently paying on your credit debt. The same is true for balance transfer cards. 

These are set aside for individuals with excellent credit and sound financial standing. Anyone with average or below scores won’t be eligible. And if you qualify, the zero interest is for a limited time.

At this point, a good call is to reach out to a financial counselor or a CPA, each capable of advising you on creating a budget meant for debt elimination to quickly get the bills paid down in stages. 

That usually involves picking on the credit card with the highest rate, dumping any and all extra funds on the monthly invoice as possible to get it paid off, and then moving on to the next until they’re all paid.

 

Final Thought

 

Acquiring a personal loan for debt refinancing can be advantageous for numerous reasons, including leaving you with a single, potentially lower-cost fixed monthly repayment. A priority is understanding this is not eliminating your debt but merely transitioning it from credit cards to a loan.

The debt still exists but should be much more manageable, easier to repay, and repaid earlier than if you had continued paying the minimum amount on credit cards. Once the debt is under control, the goal is to avoid recreating it by adhering to responsible financial practices.